The present invention relates to terminal blocks and more particularly to a terminal block of the type which incorporates overvoltage protection for such as telecommunications conductors which are terminated or interconnected at the terminal block.
Terminal blocks are utilized in the telecommunications industry to provide an interconnection point for the individual line pair conductors of multi-pair cables. Such terminal blocks may provide interconnections between cables from the central office and subscriber cables or interconnections between a central office cable and a multi-pair cable servicing a local area such as a housing subdivision.
Some terminal blocks utilize insulation displacement connector (IDC) terminal clips or connectors. This type of connector automatically pierces the insulation of a portion of the wire to establish an electrical connection when the wire is inserted therein by means of a suitable tool, and usually a hand tool specially designed for this purpose. One particularly useful terminal block of this type is illustrated and described for example in prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,070.
This patent discloses a terminal block which advantageously utilizes activators which are captively mounted in the terminal block and associated with each IDC terminal clip to accomplish connection of a conductor with the clip, in place of the special hand tool normally required for this purpose. A second wire connection to each terminal clip in blocks of this type is accomplished by a wire wrap operation. Thus, the opposite end of this terminal clip generally comprises a wire wrap post which projects outwardly toward the opposite side of the terminal block. Generally speaking, terminal blocks of this type are preconnectorized. That is, an appropriate cable stub is provided, having its respective conductors factory prewired to the respective wire wrap terminals of the terminal clips within the block.
Heretofore, overvoltage or overcurrent protection for such terminal blocks has been separately provided. That is, separate protector modules mounted on a separate block have generally been provided, requiring hand wiring of individual protectors of the protector block to individual terminals of the terminal block. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,735, an arrangement is provided for plug-in protector modules which are plugged into the upper surface of a terminal block which has been especially constructed to receive the protector modules. In this arrangement, the protector modules are attached to the terminal block above the open faces of IDC connectors housed therein, in such a way that access to the IDC connectors is blocked by the protector module. Also, the terminal block is specially designed and constructed to receive the plug-in protector modules requiring a number of relatively complex additional parts and a relatively complicated arrangement and assembly of these parts, requiring additional steps in handling and assembly.